


Shadows and Nightmares

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Its also on some other sites I have accounts on, Nightmares, Scary, Suspense, fears, for school, i guess, made up monster with a bit of researched stuff, season 4, shadows and nightmares, thought I would post it here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2018-02-25 16:35:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2628701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Dean visit a small town where three murders have happened in the past couple weeks. When they show up, mystery is everywhere. Why don't the victims have shadows? What are the connections? Why were they killed? And where has Dean gotten to?<br/>Set in season 4 (kinda). Made for school. Doing suspense writing. Will probably put it on other sites so if you see it somewhere else don't be alarmed</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shadows and Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Set in season 4 (kinda). Made for school. Doing suspense writing. Will probably put it on other sites so if you see it somewhere else don't be alarmed. Had to write 3-6 pages but wrote 8 (whoops!)

As the sky grows darker, I rush home. I can hear the shoes of the creature behind me, as I run through the alley and into the street. No cars are coming so I continue. I look behind me and see… It. It seems to be walking at a normal pace, but is always at the same distance. I pick up my speed, hoping to leave it behind. Running faster than I do in track and field. My heartbeat increases, I’m running out of breath fast, the clunk of dress shoes are close behind. I trip, dropping to my hands and knees. It grows closer and I scramble to get up and run to safety. My ankle throbs in pain. Its too late. Its upon me.

I can feel my shadow being pulled away, as if part of my soul is leaving. As if I’m being pulled apart. What have I gotten myself into? Why did I do this?...

The only thing left of the young man under the street light is a bloody body.

And no shadow.

…

“My name is Agent Weason. This is Agent Smith.” Sam pulled out his false FBI badge and gestured to Dean as he pulled out his. The sheriff nodded and let them pass.

“I’m Sheriff Nowles. This is my Deputy, Bill Kohler.” The older sheriff pointed out the other man with gold hair, holding a notepad, a sucker in his mouth, walking around the body. Dried brown-crimson blood soaked the victims shirt.

Dean noticed the face, or lack of. “Where’s the shadow?” He had directed it towards his brother but the deputy answered.

“Seems to be missing, huh?” He joked, but saw the seriousness on Dean's face and changed his mind. “Don’t know. Its the same as the other two. No shadow, no sign of how its missing, don’t know how someones shadow can just go MISSING, and a chest wound. We haven’t found a connection between them.” He put the sucker back in his mouth.

Sam kneeled beside the body to inspect. “Have we IDed the body?”

“Alex Richardson. 16 years old, good kid. He would volunteer at the library and help organize files at the police station. Small town. Everyone knows everyone. His only family is his older brother Jake and his old dog. Are you guys, like, X-Files agents or something? That would be so cool!”

Dean walked to Alex’s head. “Yeah, something like that. Have you talked to Jake?” Kohler and Nowls both shook their heads. “Okay, we’ll do it. If you need anything or find new info call us. And we’re staying in the local hotel.” Sam handed them a business card with their fake names and a number.

The boys climbed into Dean's raven ‘67 Chevy Impala and drove to the address they got from the Sheriff.

“What do you think? It’s not like anything we’ve hunted before. Have you read anything in Dad's journal?” Sam asked as Dean turned onto the main road.

“No, but check again. My memory has been a bit weird since I got back from Hell. It's in the glove case.” Sam popped it open and dug through the many lighters, empty bullet cases, and burger wrappers until he found the thick leather notebook that had been their Dad's, but had left for them in a motel room when he had gone missing and Dean asked Sam for help finding him.

After that things had gone downhill. Sam’s girlfriend was killed by the same demon that had burned their mom when Dean was four and Sam was six months old, the search for John Winchester, they found him but he left again only to join up with them later, a car crash, John's death, opening the gates of Hell (accidently), working with a demon, Sam dying but being brought back to life by Dean selling his soul to a crossroads demon, Dean going to Hell, then being pulled back by an angel named Castiel who said Heaven needed the brothers' help. And that was only three years.

“Anyway, if not we could call Bobby or you could search through the library.” Dean said.

“Why do I do the searching? And what would you be doing?”

“You’re the nerd! You like reading! I’ll be searching around town, asking the locals about stuff.”

Sam smirked, “And by ‘Search around town’ you mean look in the bar, right?”

“Shut up! I’ll go to the police station and see if anyone knows about his personal life, check on the other bodies, and he was 16! He must have school, and friends.”

“I never had friends when I was 16. Neither did you.” Sam flipped through the journal.

“Well, we moved around a lot. We had no time for friends. Dad needed to find Yellow Eyes.” Dean glanced at Sam as he mentioned the demon who had taken his whole family. He just continued looking in the book.

…

“So, did Alex have any friends, a girlfriend, a social life?” Dean was sitting at the kitchen table in the Richardson house after dropping Sam off at the sheriffs station, Jake across from him and a huge bernese mountain dog at his feet.

“Not really. He went to school, went to where ever he was volunteering that day, then home. He was never interested in anyone. Very friendly though. Always talking to people. Thats why everyone liked him. Looks like Copper has taking a liking to you!” Jake pointed to the massive dog that had decided Deans feet were the best place to sleep. He patted the dog on his back then looked back up at the young man.

“Was he acting… strange the past few days? Jumpy, quiet, secretive? Maybe talking about or to strange people?”

“I don’t think so. I’ve been working a lot lately, trying to get more money to provide for us. Its been hard for us since mom passed away last year and our dad left when Alex was born. Never really liked kids, mom said.” Jake looked embarrassed about rambling, sharing so much with a stranger who could probably not care less. He rose the mug he was holding to his lips and looked out the window.

Dean showed a small smile. “I understand. My mom died when I was young, my dad went a couple years ago. Losing people is always hard, no matter how close you were to them.”

Jake nodded. “I just never thought he would go before me. I’m seven years older. I thought he would be attending my funeral, not the other way around.”

The fake FBI agent  nodded and continued asking questions.

…

When Dean got back the the hotel around 10 pm, Sam was on his laptop, reading about the previous deaths in the town.

He was now dressed in casual jeans, tshirt, flannel over shirt, and jacket, his long hair pushed back from his forehead, a concentrated look on his face.

“Find anything?” Dean dropped the food he had picked up onto the table where Sam was working and sat down across from him.

Sam looked up at his brother, surprised, like he hadn’t heard him come in. “Uh, maybe. Not too sure. What about you? Find out anything about his personal life?”

“His brother says he didn’t have friends or a girlfriend, was really friendly, helped out everywhere. I asked if the kid had been weird lately but he has been busy with work. Its just them. Mom dead, no dad to be found. Kind of like us.” Dean pulled the personal pie out of the bag and started eating.

“Except, we know what happened to both our parents. Well, I can check the library and police station tomorrow. You can go to school, talk to teachers and classmates, and see if he was on any teams or in clubs. Anything would be helpful.”

“You said you might have something?” Dean asked with a mouthful of apple pie.

“Just doing a search on ‘no shadow people’. Nothing so far”

“Let me know if you find anything. Who were the other poor people?”

“A local woman who works at the grocery store, and a fisherman who lives by the lake just outside of town, both dead in the past two months. I talked to the mans wife and son, but they said the same thing. Friendly, nothing strange at all. And I read all of dads journal. Twice. Theres nothing in there.”

Dean finished his pie, put the container in the garbage and flopped onto his bed, kicking off his shoes. “Okay. I’m gonna sleep. I’ll check out the school…” Dean barely finished his sentence as he got comfy and drifted off to sleep, his hand moving under his pillow where Sam knew he kept a knife. Sam shook his head, smirking, as he turned back to his beloved computer.

He went to sleep later that night, unsuccessful in finding anything that might help.

**  
  
**

The next day Sam grabbed a muffin from the bag Dean had left beside his laptop last night. The older Winchester had already left, somehow without waking Sam. He noticed Dean had left his worn brown leather jacket and wondered what his brother was wearing. He always had that jacket!

Sam shrugged it off and went to the library.

It was an old, grand building, placed right beside the town hall. When Sam entered he walked up to the front desk and waited for the woman with grey hair and large glasses to finish on the old computer.

When she looked up he said “Agent Weason, FBI. I would like to talk about a boy who volunteered here, Alex Richardson.”

Her face puckered up like she had bitten into a lemon. “I’m not in charge of the volunteers.” She glared at Sam. “Ask Jamie. Shes in the back.” Sam nodded and walked to where she had pointed.

He found Jamie quite easily. She was a young woman, not older than than 20, with light blonde hair and pale blue eyes that seemed to pierce into Sam’s heart.

“Hello, you’re in charge of the volunteers?” she nodded. “I am Agent Weason with the FBI. I would like to ask a few questions about a boy. Alex Richardson, 16.”

“Ah, yes. Alex. He is a very nice boy.But what does FBI want with him?”

“He was murdered a couple nights ago.”

“Excuse me?” Jamie sat back in her seat, her eyes seemed to tear up a bit. “H-how?”

Sam stepped forward and sat in a couch that was in the room. “Thats what we’re trying to figure out. I just have a few questions. Are you OK to answer them?”

Jamie nodded.

…

“Hey Dean, its Sam. Please call when you get this message. I think I figured something out.” Sam left the other Winchester a message and hung up. He had already called Dean three times on his different phones. He had also called the school but they said no agent had been there. Where could he be if hes not at the school? Its not like Dean to disappear without saying anything, besides those few times he had as a kid.

The 26 year old walked back to the hotel. Too anxious to work on his computer or be in a small hotel room, he down in the lobby. It was a good sized room, with the front counter, a small “Goods” corner that had ramen noodles, candy bars, water bottles and other necessities; a small piano and a sitting area in front of a fire. Sam sat at the piano and lifted the red-wood cover over the keys. Music always calmed him down. He was halfway through the instrumental part of Kansas’s ‘Carry On My Wayward Son’ when he noticed he had company.

The girl watching him looked to be 15 or 16. “You’re really good at playing. Where’d you learn?”

Not sure quite how to answer he said, “Uh, a woman taught me a few notes a motel I was staying at one time when I was little, but mostly self taught.” She nodded.

“My mum taught me. Before she was killed. She was the first of the three murders. You’re the FBI, right? Heard you were in town.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sorry to hear about your mother. Do you mind if I ask a few questions,...:?” He scooted over on the bench so she could sit down.

“Kerri. My mum was very kind. Worked at the grocery store. It was just us and after… You know, The woman who owns this place said I could stay if helped out.”

The look on her face was sad, but seemed to be able to talk about it. “Was she acting strange before? Talking about weird things?”

Kerri looked like she was going to say no, then stopped. “Yes. There was one thing.My mum said she could sometimes see something that was going to happen before it did, or she would just know it would happen. Always smelt cinnamon before she saw, thats how she knew. One night she woke up calling ‘The shadow man! He’s going to take my shadow! I can’t let him!’ and she would describe this… Thing. She said it had no face, no features at all. It was coming towards her at night, always going around the lights the streetlamp put out. She said ‘He’s coming for my shadow, to stitch into his robes. And he’s going to take my shadow, for he has none of his own. Then, he will rip part of me apart. The bottom. He will drag me until my legs aren’t in the sockets...’ like she was in a trance or something. It freaked me out, I didn’t want to hear anymore, but I remember every word.” Sam shivered when she was talking. He had seen a lot of creepy things but what Kerri had explained took the cake. He asked a few more questions but there was nothing more.

As soon as he was done he raced to their room. “Dean, wherever you are call me! I think I’ve got something.” He left another message for his missing brother and flipped open his computer.

He clicked on the first one that came up.

‘The Shadow Man is often said to show up before tragedies. People say he is wearing a cape or robe and sometimes a hat. Many say that he has no face, while others say he is just a shadow that belongs to no one. We don’t know if he, or it, is deadly but one woman says that she saw him steal a shadow from someone who showed up dead later.

There are many different legends, but no one is exactly sure what it is or where it comes from.’

Sam looked through a few more like this, but most said the same thing. He leaned back in his chair, running his hands through his hair, wondering if this was the creature killing people.

“Cas? Castiel? Wherever you are, I need your help.” No answer. “I think Dean’s missing. I can’t get a hold of him.”

“Dean is missing?” Sam whirled around at the deep voice of the trench-coated angel.

“Cas! Its good to see you. I’ve tried calling Dean multiple times on his different phones. Can you track him?”

Castiel cocked his head to the side, as if listening to something, and squinted his eyes. “Yes, I can. I will be right back.” Sam felt a blow of wind from the mans wings, and he was gone.

I hope Dean’s alright

A minute later Cas was back, a faint Dean leaning on him.”Dean!” Sam ran over and caught his brother, laying him down on his bed. “Dean! Dean?” Sam slapped Deans face lightly a few times.

“He’s passed out. Will probably be back up thirty minutes. Why don’t you get some rest too? I’ll wake you if he’s conscious” Cas led Sam towards the other bed and went to sit at the table.

An hour later when Sam woke up, Dean and Castiel were sitting at the table eating burgers, Dean halfway done, Cas had only a few bites out of his, looking at it curiously.

“It tastes like… Molecules.”

“Just shut up and eat. Hey, Sam! How you doing?”

Sam got up and staggered over to the table, still tired. “You were the one passed out! What happened?” He sat in the third chair and started picking at the salad Dean had put before him.

“I was on my way to the school and thought I saw something in the forest, a shadowy figure, so I stopped to investigate. Think I found where our creature lives. I followed the thing to a cave, but it saw me I guess and I tripped getting behind a tree and… I was being pulled. It felt as if my soul was leaving, a part of my was being ripped away. I had brought a gun so I tried to shoot it. Didn’t work but must’ve scared it off. If only we knew what it was.”

“I do. Its a Shadow Man. Real creative name, huh? What I’m guessing is it takes peoples shadows to, I don’t know, survive or something?” Sam looked at his brother, a bit worried.

“Huh. Know how to kill it?” Dean said and took another bite.

Sam swallowed the forkful of salad he had taken. “Well, its a shadow. What kills a shadow? Light, I’m guessing. And Kerri said-”

“Who’s Kerri?”

“First victims daughter. She said her mom had visions, and saw the Shadow Man in a dream. She said that it avoided the light.”

Dean balled up his wrapper and tossed it into the wastebasket. “Okay, so we’ll just go to the cave I followed it to in the woods and set it ablaze?”

“I guess. If not we can scare it away like you did and run. You wanna come Cas?”

The angel set down his burger and said “I think I’ll go back to heaven. There was a minor emergency there earlier. I should try and clean it up.”

“Emergency?” Dean tried to ask, but he was already gone. “Okay, guess I’ll get things ready. Meet me by the car when you’re done.”

“‘Kay. You remember where the cave is?”

Dean nodded as he stepped into the hall. He came back in a couple minutes though. “Wheres Baby?”

Sam shrugged and threw the salad container in the trashbin. “Guess Cas only brought you back. Is it a far walk?”

Dean flipped him off then walked back into the hall. “Meet you in the lobby!” He yelled back.

It wasn’t quite as long of a walk as they thought. When they got to Baby it was mid-afternoon.

“I saw it there and decided to check it out. Looked suspicious...” Dean popped Baby’s trunk and lifted the false bottom to reveal all their guns, bullets, stakes, bags of salt, stuff to ward off demons, et cetera.

“Take a flashlight and maybe a wooden stake. I’ll grab a few lighters from the glovebox.” Sam moved to the front passenger door and waited for Dean to unlock the Impala.

Dean nodded and grabbed the things Sam suggested, plus his favourite silver .45 Colt, and handed another to Sam.

When they were all ready, the set off into the eerily dark forest. The trees clawed at them, grabbing their jackets and hair, startling them when they got poked in the back or head. It was a pretty rough walk. Sam got a branch in the face, scratching above his eyebrow, deep enough for there to be a slight trickle of blood. Dean almost tripped multiple times on the roots sticking out of the ground, but there wasn’t anything the boys couldn’t handle. Yet.

“Are you sure it was this way?”

“YES! Now stop talking. We’re close and we don’t want to alert it.” Dean shot a glare back at Sam, as the younger of the two chuckled.

They soon got to a small clearing, a large ominous looking cave on the other side of it. “This is it?” Sam pointed his light inside as Dean nodded and moved forward.

The warily stepped inside the dark cave. Just inside were a few large rocks and various twigs and leaves.

Sam pointed onward and looked back at Dean, who nodded. The continued for a while, following the route made for them. There were no exits into other rooms or passageways. The ground tilt down a bit so they must’ve been underground, or going to be in a bit.

Dean didn’t know how long it had been, but he started to loose hope, thinking this may not have been anything. Sam would point his light down every once in a while to make sure their shadows weren’t gone.

“Sam, look at this.” Dean and stepped into a large room, huge rocks were scattered all along the edges, a dead tree off to the side. When they passed the light beam over them, nothing cast a shadow. “I think we’re on the right path.”

They started to walk around, deciding to stick together. There was another stone hallway at the other side so they started for there, but stopped when Sam pulled Dean behind a close rock.

“Dude, what the He-” Dean was cut off by Sams hand over his mouth.

“Sh”

Then Dean saw. The creature, a Shadow Man, came out of the other path. It looked like a man in a nice business suit, but he had a cape. A cloak. It was dark, black maybe, but it was hard to tell since it was moving. Even when the thing stopped, it still seemed to be moving, wriggling. As if it was made out of-

“Shadows. His cloak is shadows.”

Dean looked at Sam. “What?”

“The cloak he’s wearing. Its made from shadows of the victims, and I’m guessing all the rocks and that tree.” Sam whispered.

“Sammy, come on. You can’t tell me its made of something thats not even real.”

Sam looked at his big brother confused. “How are shadows not real?”

You can’t hold them! Duh!”

Sam rolled his eyes and turned back to watch the thing. It started moving towards the boys. The moved farther behind the boulder, crouching now. Dean reached for his gun. Sam pulled out a lighter.

“Now boys… You don’t want to hurt me… Do you?” The Winchester brothers stiffened at the voice. It seemed to be coming from everywhere, yet nowhere. It was like the wind blowing curtains, a tree tapping on a window. It was like every nightmare you’ve ever had. The bad feeling you have right before the murderer kills you, or the thing that goes bump in the night jumps out of the closet, or the giant spider grabs you to be wrapped up in her web, or before you get the first blow of fist in a fight. It was like every worst fear you’ve ever had. It sounded like… Well, like shadows!

Now, our heroes aren’t scared of very much (just regular stuff like airplanes and clowns) but this voice made them both want to whimper and hide under the safe blankets of a comfy bed, or climb into their moms lap like they were little kids (which can’t happen, since their mom burned on a ceiling 26 years earlier).

“Oh… Little Sammy… I always had fun finding my way into your dreams. And tough Dean. Always the protector, watching over his little brother. How sweet… Well, now its time for all you dreams to come true. Or I guess, nightmares.” The voice grew louder. Dean instinctively moved closer to Sam. Like the creature said, always the protector.

“See boys, I’m made of nightmares. I AM nightmares. My ‘cloak of shadows’ as Sam was thinking is more of a prize. I take the shadows from everyone I scare. The first woman, I planted the vision in her head and it came true. The man, well, I made him believe he was dying, and then he did. And the last boy… Alex. Young Alex. When he was very young his fear was losing the rest of his family. His father had already left, his mummy was sick. All that was left to go was his brother and dog. I made him think that they were gone. A dream that they left him. Thats what made him go mad, but no one knew.”

Sam and Dean were now shivering. The could feel the bad coming nearer.

“What are your fears? Oh! I see… Losing each other. Thats too bad, since its going to happen. Think you would be over that, you’ve both already lost each other. I think Dean is still lost…”

Sam was about to breakdown, then he heard that. “No. My brother is not lost. He’s right here.”

“No… You think its your brother, but in reality hes still in Hell. The angels lied to you. Said they brought him back. They LIED! Manipulated you.”

“NO! They didn’t!” Sam got up and looked at the creature then down at Dean who was paralyzed with fear. “He is right here!”

Sam flicked open the lighter, and the thing hissed at the flame “What are you doing?! You can’t get rid of me! I am your fears, everything you hate! There is always fear that you can’t get rid of!”

“Too bad.” Sam said “Because you’re gone now.” And he flung the fire towards the creature.

It burned up, leaving behind eight words in Sam's mind. “There will always be fear in the world…”

**  
  
**

“Hey, Sammy? Can we agree to NEVER talk about this? Ever?” Dean asked as they drove back to the hotel.

“Yeah, sure. I don’t want to talk about it either. Lets just say this never happened. Okay?” Sam smiled at his brother, understanding why he didn’t want people to know.

**  
  
**

On their way out of town they were stopped by Bill Kohler. “Leaving already?” he said, pulling the ever present sucker out of his mouth.

Dean nodded. “Yeah, we’re heading back to the main office. We think the killer left town. If anything else happens, we’ll come back. But I have a feeling he won’t be back.”

Bill nodded. “Okay. Thanks for your help.” He pushed his bangs away. “I’ll tell Nowls you guys left. He’ll be glad the guy is gone.”

“And thanks for all your help.” Sam said before Dean rolled up the window.

The black Impala drove off into the distance, the deputy watching, seeing Dean flip on some classic rock music, Sam complaining and trying to turn it off only to have his hand hit by the other mans.

**  
Then they were gone.**

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it. Please comment what you liked or I could improve on. Luv ya and have a good day!


End file.
